Cocher Cochon

Route climbs excellent rock, mostly low angle slab climbing, with a couple of steeper sections and one or two short cracks thrown in. Rock is extremely solid if a bit licheny. Classic route with fairly easy access, so expect to have company. All belays have two bolts, often but not always connected with cord of varying age.

Great photo of the route with beta here:
herve.thivierge.pagesperso-…
(this site has great beta photos of MANY routes in Cham)

Pitch 1, 5.7 (4b): Good warm-up pitch. Start a the base of a low angle slab with a grassy but shallow crack up the middle. Climb up and gently to the right.

Pitch 2, 5.9+ (5c): Continue up and right on the slab.

Pitch 3, 5.9 (5b)

Pitch 4, 5.10a (6a)

Pitch 5, 5.8 (5a): Easier pitch followed by a short rappel (12 m, ~40 ft). After the rap, walk on the obvious trail around to the right to a very low angle slab.

(Pitch 6, 5.4 (3a): Easy slab walk-up with two bolts. Go up and to the left. Either take in rope and simul-climb, or just skip altogether by walking up the grassy passage to the left.)

Pitch 7, 5.10a/b: A steep start with a couple variations. Take the cracks to the right for the harder variation (5.10b), stay left for the easier variation (5.10a). Continue up and left on the slab to a not-so-comfortable belay in the middle of the slab.

Pitch 8, 5.9: Continue up the slab to a small peak. Follow to the top, staying to the left. Then step around and behind it to the belay at the base of the final spire (the "Clocher de Planpra)

Pitch 9, 5.10b: The crux pitch. A few steeper moves at the bottom are followed by lower angle to tricky slab climbing toward the top. Fairly sustained. Follows the arete most of the way. Rap down on climbers left using the ancient but solid giant loop of metal (22 m, ~75 ft). Although slightly disconcerting, this loop of metal through the large anchor ring is probably in place to help avoid getting the rope stuck when pulling it (see below!)
When pulling the rope, give it a sharp tug away from the rock to keep the rope from falling behind a large flake halfway down the face and getting stuck (easy climb to get it out, but still!).

GPS at the base: 45.9453372,6.8465587

Take the lift up to the intermediate station of the Brevent -- go to Plan Praz. Take the large dirt road up and to the left to the top of a ski lift (5 min). Following signs for Lac Cornu, go behind the ski lift and traverse around to the right. Immediately after crossing a large boulder field, take a small trail up and to the left. There is a cairn marker a short ways up off the main trail. A bit harder to follow through the rocky section, the trail is clear through the grassy part higher up, and leads directly to the base of the climb. 35-45 min. See photos.

To descend, rap down the face to climber's left. From there, walk around a few large boulders (around right, then back to the left) and follow a series of cairns down a rocky and grassy slope back towards the telepherique. The climbers' trail traverses around the hillside before rejoining a larger trail that takes you back down to the ski lift you passed on the way up.

12 draws max needed. Routes are very well bolted. Only spots are that even a bit run out are where the climbing is much easier. Two anchors at all belays, although not usually rap rings on each except for top of pitches 5 and 9.